IBS due to antibiotics use: Curious to know... - IBS Network

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IBS due to antibiotics use

Lewis_mackenzie profile image
12 Replies

Curious to know whether anyone's ibs developed after antibiotic use?

After my first year of university, once exams had finished I contracted glandular fever (something I found out months later via blood test). At the time we were still in a pandemic and because GP appointments at the time wereover the phone, I was told I had tonsilitis and was given antibiotics. A month after this the same symptoms came back and I was prescribed another course. It was after these two courses did my ibs symptoms start, and how aggressiv they were! It is almost a year later and I am still fighting symptoms most days.. I have had to defer the year because of it! :/ I am 20 years old.

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Lewis_mackenzie profile image
Lewis_mackenzie
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12 Replies
Maureen1958 profile image
Maureen1958

There is a link between antibiotics and IBS, see link below:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....

I have heard people on various IBS health sites say they think it was started by antibiotics use too.

Luisa22 profile image
Luisa22

It could be that the antibiotics have seriously upset your microbiome? They are notorious for doing that. They kill everything, good bacteria included once they get to the gut. Have you tried any probiotic? Would your doctor be able to help with suggestions for a really good one?

xjrs profile image
xjrs

You probably have a gut bacterial imbalance caused by the antibiotics. Try Alflorex probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS to help bring things back in balance. It has been a game changer for me.

Definitely take a probiotic to get the good bacteria back in your system.

Campoverde profile image
Campoverde

Mine started after prolonged use of antibiotics for urine infections

Arpin profile image
Arpin in reply to Campoverde

Hi there just read your reply to Lewis Isn't it strange that after 50 years of antibiotics for UTI's at the age of 68 I was only diagnosed last year with IBS so I would say it wasn't antibiotics that did it for me What a nasty and complex thing IBS is I do feel for Lewis to have got his at 20 IBS respects no age or gender I hope that you are well at the moment and like me your waterworks are behaving todaySandie🧡

Arpin profile image
Arpin

Hi Lewis I'm 68 now and female. Since the age of 19 Ive suffered with bouts of cystitis sometimes so bad there would be blood so I was on a continued course of antibiotics for years I became immune and had to change to another make As the years went by and after treatments, investigations and hospitalisation antibiotics were regarded as unnecessary Stress played a large part in the flare ups Now if one is imminent I drink water and a proprietary brand of a neutralising powder and if I don't catch it before it becomes fully blown then antibiotics In nearly 50 years of antibiotics I was only diagnosed with IBS last year so in my case I think it's safe to say that antibiotics haven't caused my trouble Some say that IBS can be a bacteria of sorts so antibiotics once the offender is identified could be prescribed I'm sorry if this goes against your theory but in your case it may well be the case though so don't give up on that theory

IBS is such a mystery and we all hope that the cause is soon found to relieve all the pain and suffering it brings

Good luck for the future Lewis follow whichever diet suits, stay as positive as you can You will get it under control, keep at it Last but not least its a comfort when a flare up occurs but come to this site where you find you are not alone Its helped me so much When doctors don't have much time - we do

🧡

tansy-ann8 profile image
tansy-ann8

Yes. I always try to avoid antibiotics now, although it's not always possible, every time I have to use them it sets the IBS off into a flare up, which lasts for weeks, sometimes months. I am currently struggling to recover from pneumonia and really don't want more antibiotics...however, I suspect I will have to have them yet again...

kay-os profile image
kay-os

Antibiotics kill all gut bacteria which allows overgrowth of yeast/fungi and not only messes up the digestive system but gets out of control, into the blood stream and attacks the rest of the body. There are no pills or medical methods to kill fungi, the only way is to starve them, stop them feeding, and re introduce the good bacteria that the antibiotics destroyed. No sugar or carbs. There is info on the net about diets that don't feed fungi. Takes time but it will work.Doctors like to keep giving drugs. Hope this helps

Pajarorose profile image
Pajarorose

I think mine came from ten plus years of daily low dose aspirin.

Pte82 profile image
Pte82

Lewis_mackenzie, the first thing that comes to mind when having IBS after being on antibiotics is probiotics but antibiotics also cause thiamine to be diminished in addition to other causes found in the stuttersence link and there is a good possibility your IBS is from a combination. Activating thiamine is needed before you benefit from it and for that you need magnesium. Stress, pain and others found in the krispin link cause magnesium loss putting you in a deficiency state. The brain and vagus nerve are affected by low activated thiamine and in turn, because they control function in the gut, an IBS condition results. These links offer a path to follow and I hope they encourage your to look further in this direction. Always consult your health care professional before using any supplement.

stuttersense.blogspot.com/2...

krispin.com/magnes.html

objectivenutrients.com/insi...

eonutrition.co.uk/post/thia...

oldfog profile image
oldfog

Whilst I agree that IBS can be caused or exacerbated by stress and anxiety, I still believe that my IBS was caused by two back-to-back courses of antibiotics, which were prescribed for severe gum disease! And the gum disease was caused or exacerbated by parathyroid problems, which made my blood calcium levels go through the roof and which ended up with me having to stay in hospital for one month while they attempted to get my blood calcium levels to a safe level prior to surgery to remove my remaining parathyroid glands.

I was advised to try a low FODMAP diet by a nurse practitioner at my GP surgery in January 2020 and I stuck to it religiously for 3 years because I didn't want my IBS pains and Diarrhoea to strike again. But I have recently started to eat ordinary bread again (as opposed to exorbitantly expensive gluten free bread) without suffering any stomach pains. And I have suffered NO unpleasant symptoms after eating a Tesco quarter pound burger (which had onion powder in it) last night either :-)

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